DirectMail is billed based on sending volume. Two billing methods are available: resource package and pay-as-you-go.
Sending volume: The total number of emails DirectMail sends on your behalf.
An email is a single message sent to one address. Sending one message to multiple recipients counts as a separate email for each recipient.
Billing scope: You are charged for any email the DirectMail system successfully accepts, regardless of its final delivery status to the recipient's mail system. You are not charged for delivery failures caused by internal system errors.
For special billing instructions regarding emails sent to invalid addresses, see the Invalid Address documentation.
If your Alibaba Cloud account has an overdue balance, all sending is suspended. During this time, you cannot use a resource package. After you pay the overdue balance, any sending volume incurred before the suspension will be deducted from your resource package.
Resource packages
A resource package is a prepaid billing method. It becomes active immediately after purchase.
Validity period: 6 months. Each resource package has an independent validity period. The validity periods of multiple packages do not stack.
Deduction priority: During the validity period, sending volume is deducted from your active resource packages first. If you have multiple resource packages, the system uses the one that will expire soonest. After you use all your resource packages, your account automatically switches to the pay-as-you-go billing method.
Once a resource package is used or expires, it cannot be refunded or canceled, and any remaining volume is forfeited.
To avoid billing interruptions, purchase a new resource package at least one hour before your current one expires or runs out of volume.
Billing is calculated on an hourly basis, not at a fixed time of day.
There can be a lag in how sending volume is calculated for billing. For example, emails sent near the end of an hour may be included in the next hour's bill. This can cause temporary, minor discrepancies between console statistics and your bill during the sending process. However, the total billed amount will align with your total sending volume once complete.
Resource package specifications
Package size (emails) | Package price (USD) | Validity period | Pay-as-you-go savings |
10,000 | $5.22 | 6 months | Free for new customers (save $5.22) |
50,000 | $13.05 | 6 months | Save $1.45 |
500,000 | $121.80 | 6 months | Save $23.20 |
1,000,000 | $230.55 | 6 months | Save $59.45 |
5,000,000 | $1,123.75 | 6 months | Save $326.25 |
For the latest promotional pricing, see the purchase page.
Pay-as-you-go
Pay-as-you-go is a postpaid billing method that charges you based on actual usage, at a rate of $0.29 per 1,000 emails. This billing method is enabled by default when you activate DirectMail. If you buy a resource package, billing automatically switches to pay-as-you-go after you use the package quota.
Formula: Pay-as-you-go fee = (sending volume / 1,000) * $0.29
Fees are rounded to two decimal places, with a minimum charge of $0.01.Free quota
Each Alibaba Cloud primary account receives a free quota of 2,000 total emails, with a daily sending limit of 200 free emails.
The system applies the free quota before deducting from a resource package or charging you on a pay-as-you-go basis. You are only billed for sending volume that exceeds your free quota.